Rabbit Ravioli in a Potato Crust with Red Pepper Oil
The filling is rabbit confit, and the “pasta” is paper-thin slices of potato. Fried until crisp and golden, the Asian-style ravioli are served with a vinaigrette made with bell peppers. The ravioli may be made in advance, brought to room temperature, and reheated in a 325 F oven for 2 to 3 minutes before serving.
Ingredients
- Carrots - 1, peeled
- Celery - 1 stalk
- Leek - 1, split lengthwise, washed, and tough outer green leaves removed
- Onion - 1
- Garlic - 3 cloves
- Rabbit - 2 legs and 2 loins, cleaned
- Salt - To taste
- Cracked black pepper - 1 tablespoon
- Dry white wine - 1/2 cup
- Thyme - 1 bunch fresh, separated into sprigs
- Olive Oil - 2 cups
- Red Bell Pepper Oil
- Red Bell Peppers - 2 large, seeded, deribbed, and coarsely chopped
- Water - 1/2 cup (optional)
- Sherry Vinegar - 2 tablespoons
- Olive Oil - 1/4 cup
- Kosher Salt - 1/4 teaspoon
- Ravioli
- Idaho potatoes - 2 large, peeled
- Olive Oil - 1/4 cup
- Eggs - 2, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
- Clarified Butter - 1 cup
- Peanut Oil - 1/2 cup
- Kosher salt - To taste
- Herb Salad
- Frisee (Curly Endive) - 1 head
- Arugula - 1/2 bunch
- Chives - 1 tablespoon, snipped fresh
- Dill - 1 tablespoon, snipped fresh
- Tarragon - 1 tablespoon, minced
- Parsley - 1 tablespoon, minced
- Chervil - 1 tablespoon, minced
- Olive Oil - 5 tablespoons
- Sherry Vinegar - 3 tablespoons
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
To prepare the rabbit: Preheat the oven to 350 F. finely chop the carrot, celery, leek, onion, and garlic, and place into a 4-inch-deep baking pan. Add the rabbit, season with salt and pepper, add the wine and thyme, then cover with olive oil. Seal the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 2 hours, or until the meat is tender.
Remove the rabbit from the pan to cool, then remove the meat from the bones and coarsely chop. Drain the oil and juices from the vegetables, then remove the thyme and discard. Mix the rabbit meat and vegetables together and season with salt and pepper. Set aside. This mixture may be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.
To prepare the pepper oil: Put the peppers through an electric juice extractor. Or, place the peppers in a food processor or blender with the 1/2 cup water and process to a puree. This should yield about 1-1/2 cups of juice. Place the juice in a small saucepan over medium-high heat and cook to reduce the liquid to 1 cup. Strain this syrup through a fine-meshed sieve, add the vinegar and oil, and season with salt. Set aside.
To make the ravioli: Preheat the oven to 450 F. Cut the potatoes lengthwise into paper-thin slices using a mandoline or V-slicer. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil, brush with olive oil, and lay the potato slices on the pan in a single layer. Brush the slices with olive oil. Cover with another sheet of paper or foil and set another baking sheet on top to keep the potatoes flat as they bake.
Bake for 3 to 5 minutes, or until soft but not colored. Remove the potato slices and drain; blot with paper towels. Immediately begin to make and fry the ravioli to prevent the potatoes from discoloring.
Brush the potato slices lightly with the beaten eggs. Put a rounded teaspoon of the rabbit mixture on one half of each potato slice, then fold the potato slice over and press firmly around the edges to seal.
In a large saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat, heat the butter and boil until fragrant. Drop in the ravioli in batches and fry, turning once, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon or wire skimmer and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt wile the ravioli are still warm.
To make the salad: Use scissors to cut the frisee and arugula into 1-inch pieces. Place the greens in a large bowl with the herbs, and toss with the olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper.
To serve: Place some of the herb salad on each serving plate. Overlap several ravioli along the edge of the plate and spoon some of the red pepper oil onto the plate.
